Scrubs and Strollers

13

"Ready" Ben placed his hand on her shoulder as she stood before the casket

"I can't believe it" She sighed

"Me either" Ben shook his head and put his coat around her

"I was there in that room. I saw his injuries. And I was focused on him not sending himself into a war zone. Meanwhile, he had already walked in front of a bus"

"To save a woman"

"It was that army talk in his head. He just had to be a hero" She blankly stared out in front of her

"Come on" He walked with her to his car. He drove home and she lay on the couch. Ben sighed. All that progress she made with the grief of losing her husband is now set back because she lost O'Malley.

"Hey Ben" She called out to him

"Yes," He walked over to her. She just stared at him and placed her hands on his face.

"You okay" He asked

"Don't crash your car. Don't get cancer. Don't join the army. Don't walk in front of a bus. Just don't leave"

"I'm here Miranda" He pulled her closer to him for a hug "I'm not going anywhere" He started to pull away from the hug but she tightened it so he stayed put. Finally, when she let go he moved away. He looked at her. She wasn't exactly emotionally like he expected. Rather she seemed numb.

In the months that followed, Miranda found comfort in Ben's unwavering presence. They shared moments of shared sorrow and shared memories, finding solace in each other's company.

Their bond deepened with each passing day, and eventually, Miranda found herself spending more and more time at Ben's place. Which doesn't say a lot considering all the time they were already spending together.

Slowly but surely her belongings found a place alongside his, and their lives became more even more intertwined in a way that felt both natural and comforting.

As fate would have it, the universe seemed to conspire in bringing Miranda and Ben even closer together. Their hospitals merged, and they found themselves not only essentially living together but also working side by side.

"How was work today" Ben looked at her from across the dinner table.

"We saw each other in the OR twice today"

"Man, this is so weird. I see you at work and now I see you at home" He chuckled "I'm so used to only seeing you after work at home"

"I wish O'Malley was still around" She randomly brought up.

"How are you coping with that" He asked. Time had passed but he still wanted to check on her every now and then. He never saw her cry about it. He was expecting her to and yet she never did. She remained stoic.

"He stepped in front of a bus to save a life. He knew what he was doing and he did it. But because of him, a woman is alive. He was one of the good ones. I named my son after him and while O'Malley wasn't perfect and sometimes was just downright pitiful. I'll miss him but he's a hero and that's admirable" She shrugged "And he wasn't my son. As much as I poured into those interns. They are not my children. The reality is I'm a single mom and I can't keep pouring my heart into work like that. I can't get attached to residents or patients. I have to think about Tuck"

"Well if you ever need to talk about your feelings. I'm all ears and I promised I was never going to leave you. You don't have to do that I'm the strong independent woman routine around me"

"You're a wonderful human Benjamin Warren" She smiled "I couldn't ask for a better grief buddy"

"Same here" He nodded "How are you liking the Mercy West residents"